Flodesk: The Best Email Marketing For Artists

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What is Email Marketing?

Welcome to the world of email marketing software! Email marketing refers to corresponding with and building your community via email. This digital marketing strategy involves sending emails, email campaigns or an email newsletter to a targeted group of individuals with the goal of promoting products or services, driving traffic back to your online store, building relationships, or generating brand awareness. It’s power comes from the fact that it’s a direct form of communication between a business and its audience, typically using email platforms or marketing automation tools like flodesk, mailchimp, convertkit, etc.

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve probably heard some of all of these email marketing tools being tossed around.

One of the best email marketing strategies is to communicate often and consistently. Regular emails yield better results. The concept of the mailing list may appear quaint in a world of Instagram or TikTok, but its resurgence is a testament to its enduring relevance and effectiveness. A well-curated mailing list comprises the email addresses of individuals who have willingly chosen to engage with your art. This is key! This self-selected audience forms the core of your supporters, often more invested and interested in your work than passive social media followers. Emails offer a direct line of communication between you and your audience. Unlike social media, where your posts may get lost in a sea of content, emails land directly in your subscribers’ inboxes, increasing the chances of them being seen and acted upon.

Why Is Email Marketing So Important?

Let’s take a closer look at why you need an email marketing strategy immediately! A few years ago when I spent almost all of my time learning, absorbing from others, taking courses and listening to all the online marketing podcasts I could find they all had one thing in common – the importance of a mailing list. Creating relevant content to potential buyers is really the task at hand. Constant contact to your email subscribers is what makes email marketing work.

Email Subscription, Collector’s List, Email List, List Building, Subscriber List…

It’s all the same. It’s the successful gain of consent from your audience to receive ongoing information to their inbox. And if you think about, isn’t it much better to communicate with someone who wants you to communicate with them? Think of email marketing as a great tool for you to share value with those who are curious and want to support you. It’s not about sales necessarily. It’s about keeping others informed, sharing information and opening yourself and your business up to them. It’s effective because it’s a chosen relationship.

How Do You Use Email Marketing As An Artist?

The Opt-In Process / Lead Magnet

So, now that we know what email marketing is, how do we do it correctly? Is there a formula? Template? Schedule? Yup. Here is the best email marketing strategy for artists. Take notes!

The foundation of a successful mailing list lies in obtaining consent from your audience. And really, that’s what you want. Someone who willingly gives you their email because they want to hear from you regularly. Never add people to your mailing list without their permission; this is not only unethical but can also result in legal consequences. Eek! Instead, the challenge is in creating compelling sign-up forms on your website that convert to newsletter subscribers. You can offer special offers, a coupon code, free printables, free guides, free workshop or some that draws someone in and compels them to give you their email. If you do this right, your opt-in form will result in a 20% or greater sign up rate.

How Does An Email Marketing Platform Integrate In Your Website?

Most website platforms (shopify, squarespace, wordpress) have integrated form functions where you can add a pop-up or email subscription button. You want to have a responsive design that is specific to each page on your site, products, blog posts should be custom created using unique forms. You can also tag each form so that they build specific audiences for various topics. Some platforms are better than others in terms of the functionality, but my recommendation is to go outside of your platform and sign up with an email marketing platform, ie. flodesk, mailchimp, convert kit and there are many more. These platforms specialize in helping you with email management services, and usually offer a free plan on trial so that you can test out the platform first. install the right forms in the right place on your website and store your analytics where you can see how people are using your forms and if you need to redesign anything. A pop-up specifically is the little form that pops-up, at the time you enter a new website. This is also called a lead magnet, directed towards new fans, which means you’re leading or giving away something in exchange for an email. Good examples of lead magnets for artists are free printables, studio guides, materials/supply guide, a photograph they can use as their wallpaper or a link to a promotion or discount to their shop. 

Segmentation And How To Do It Correctly.

And here is where the custom fun comes in. Once you have a sizeable list, segment it based on various factors such as location, art preferences, and buying history. If you have various streams in your business – teaching art vs. selling to collectors, you can segment based on those as well. Segmentation allows you to send tailored content to different groups within your audience, increasing the likelihood of engagement. In other words, you’re personalizing their experience and really only giving them the content they want and that applies to them

How Often Should I Send Emails?

The right answer? Consistently. The best email marketing strategy is one that lasts. There is some science to this answer but in general, its about a consistent delivery rather than quantity.

For best email marketing results, frequency is key!  And, it really depends on your workflow and products. If you have various streams and multiple segments, this might be a few times a week. Maintaining a mailing list isn’t just about sending promotional emails. Regularly engage with your subscribers by sharing your artistic journey, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and personal stories. This humanizes your brand and fosters a deeper connection with your audience. You may consider posting weekly, or twice a week (1x weekly newsletter on Monday mornings and New Artwork / Tips / Blog Posts on Thursdays)

PRO TIP: Come up with a schedule where you follow a sequence of emails, such as:

Email 1: VALUE / KNOWLEDGE / INSIGHT – a welcome email is the best way to introduce your subscribers to the newsletter.That first email should be the first thing they receive from you, thanking them for adding their email on the signup form, and what they can expect from your content marketing or email communication. Your main goal here is to draw them in to browse your site and feel like they’re getting to know you and your brand.

Email 2: VALUE / KNOWLEDGE / INSIGHT – this could be another email that tells your story, your brand story and some recently trending posts or new artwork. You can also introduce upcoming events, talk about your favorite artists, art fairs, art galleries or whatever you’re up to in the coming weeks.

Email 3: PRODUCT / SELL – Introduce a product, collection or upcoming printable that is or will be available on your site.

Email 4: BEHIND THE SCENES, BLOG POST, PERSONAL, NEWS, UPDATES.. – talk about your creative process, your studio, your life as an artist. It’s good practice to do this early on so that the connection between brand and customer starts to build.

Email 5: PRODUCT / SELL – introduce another product, collection, course, etc…

Email 6: PERSONAL STORY or BLOG POST… and repeat…

How do I use Email Marketing to Market or Sell My Art?

NEW ARTWORK Launches

Mailing lists are invaluable when it comes to launching new art collections or products. Your subscribers are likely to be your most enthusiastic supporters, and they can provide immediate feedback and sales when you release new work. For more marketing tips, check out the FREE GUIDE with the 7 Things You Can Do Today To Start Your Creative Business

Sales and Promotions

Exclusive discounts and early access to art sales can be powerful incentives for your mailing list subscribers. These perks make them feel special and appreciated, encouraging them to support your art.

Fostering a Community

As your mailing list grows, it can evolve into a vibrant community of art enthusiasts who share a common love for your work. Nurturing this community can lead to enduring relationships and even collaborative opportunities.

What Is Flodesk?

Flodesk is a beautifully designed, women-founded email marketing platform that helps business owners create simple, aesthetically curated online email marketing campaigns in the form of opt-in forms, inline forms, emails, workflows and email automations.

Like me, some of you maybe tried a few different email marketing platforms. I took a bit of time for me to find a provider that gave me enough functionality but also didn’t penalize me for growing. I don’t believe you should pay more just because you have more subscribers. How does that make sense? If I’m using your platform successfully and growing my list, why am I being charged more? This is why I love flodesk.

All this to say, I ended up on flodesk. Incredibly intuitive and easy to use, I’m able to concentrate on the analytics I need, segment easily and send emails quickly with my brand and messaging in mind. It’s also a flat rate, no matter how fast you grow (yay!) and beautifully designed. While it is sometimes necessary to choose function over form, before discovering flodesk I was using an email marketing platform that was making me die a little bit each time I sent one. I became frustrated by the limitations that were set by other platforms, such as mailchimp or convertkit and the lack of branding options that left me feeling like my email marketing was disconnected from my brand. The emails were inconsistently designed, if at all, and I dreaded Fridays, which are my newsletter days because it meant pulling hair out trying to get the thing to look remotely close to the aesthetic that I strive for in my artwork.

The other super important thing (or super frustrating if it’s missing) is how simple it is for you to add opt-in forms, pop-ups, and embedded forms onto your website. I don’t code, nor do I want to, and I found I had to hire someone each time I had to update or replace a form on my website. With Flodesk, with a few copy and pastes, I was able to add all my forms by myself and move on with my life, amen!

Flodesk vs. ConvertKit

Flodesk and ConvertKit are both email marketing platforms that cater to different users with various needs and preferences. Here’s a brief comparison of the two from my perspective, as I’ve used both.

Flodesk is known for a user-friendly interface, visually appealing templates, and affordable pricing. It’s popular among creative entrepreneurs.

ConvertKit is more geared towards creators and bloggers. It offers simplicity, powerful automation, and a focus on content creation but requires a lot more skill when it comes to implementation into your website. Pricing is also slightly higher than Flodesk.

This is entirely my experience but I found ConvertKit extremely challenging to implement into my website and customize to my brand. It was a challenge to create beautiful, branded emails but the functionality goes a bit deeper than flodesk. There are many online marketers that swear by ConvertKit but in my opinion Flodesk has everything I need to run my business and create forms, email and automations to engage with my mailing list. Unless your business is almost entirely driven by online marketing, I don’t think it’s worth the money.

How Much Is Flodesk?

If you’re looking to grow your email list and improve your marketing automation and not spend a fortune, flodesk is my favourite email marketing platform. There are three different plans to choose from – link in bio, +email marketing and +e-commerce. Each plan has a different rate, charged either monthly or annually. But, this rate is locked forever, so you don’t pay more as you add email addresses and there is no limit to how much you use it, how many landing page options you create, emails you can send and opt-in forms you can use. You have unlimited emails and unlimited subscribers. If you’re looking for a simple link in bio, this option is their free plan! If you want to add in email marketing (the plan I use), it is $38 monthly or $35 monthly if billed annually. Lastly, if you want to add e-commerce functionality to your emails, it is an additional $26 monthly or $24 monthly if billed annually. To learn more about the different pricing options and the different features in each tier, click here.

If you’re at a point where you’re considering adding a mailing list (in which case stop thinking and do it!) or you’re not satisfied with the one you’re currently using, give flodesk a try. They’re constantly adding new features and have some beautiful welcome sequence templates to get you started quickly! You can continue running the platform you currently use and start flodesk on a free trial and just play around with your email templates, forms, sequences and see how easy it is! You’ll be sold on its ease of use, functional emails, campaigns, user interface and customer service, I’m sure!

Use the link below to get started.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EMAIL MARKETING HERE

?If you have any questions, let me know! I’m happy to show you how to set some things up and how I have my workflows and sequences running. I promise you, email marketing is actually quite fun and you’ll be impressed how quickly your list will grow!

If you’re like all other artists, imposter syndrome is also a big factor in your decision making and whether you send that next email or not, but it should never stop you from pursuing your dreams! Read all about my 7 tips to dealing with imposter syndrome and how to use it to create a successful business here!

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